maca

Where does the word "maca" come from? It comes from Quechua maka, passing through Spanish before entering English (1990s).

Maca’s story begins in Quechua: maka meant “a starchy Andean root vegetable.” Named the hardy root vegetable grown at extreme Andean altitudes. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as maca. Inca farmers grew it at over 4,000 metres in the Junín plateau. It reached English by 1990s as maca. Entered English through the global market for Andean 'superfoods'. Today, maca means a hardy Andean root vegetable, dried and used as a nutritional supplement.

1. Stage 1 · Quechua · pre-1500s maka "a starchy Andean root vegetable", named the hardy root vegetable grown at extreme Andean altitudes.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s maca "an Andean root crop grown at high altitude", Inca farmers grew it at over 4,000 metres in the Junín plateau.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1990s maca "a nutrient-dense Andean root marketed as a health supplement", entered English through the global market for Andean 'superfoods'.